Irving-owned companies at odds over Canada pipeline plan

BOSTON Feb 26 (Reuters) - Two companies owned by the
billionaire Irving family in eastern Canada appear at odds over
some of the details of the country's largest oil pipeline
project, which one of them backs.

Forestry company J.D. Irving filed a notice with Canadian
regulators this week, saying it was "vitally concerned" about
how TransCanada Corp's proposed Alberta-to-New
Brunswick pipeline would affect its operations.

J.D. Irving is owned by the same family as Irving Oil, which
is a key backer of the Energy East pipeline. The massive project
is seen as Canada's best hope of exporting its vast oil sands
reserves to overseas markets.

In a filing with the National Energy Board on Monday, J.D.
Irving said about 170 km (105 miles) of the proposed pipeline
route would cross its forest holdings in New Brunswick.

The company said it was concerned about such issues as
"commercial impacts and environmental effects" of the project.

J.D. Irving is one of North America's largest landholders,
with more than 5 million acres in New Brunswick and the
neighboring U.S. state of Maine. An official was not immediately
available to comment on the filing.

Irving Oil has played a central role in the Energy East
proposal, partnering with TransCanada to build a C$300 million
marine terminal in Saint John, New Brunswick, if the pipeline
project goes forward. The company has also committed to
processing some of the oil at its huge refinery in the city.

Canadian Business Magazine's 2014 edition ranked the Irving
family third on its Top 25 most wealthy Canadians list, placing
its riches at some C$7.85 billion. The Irvings' scores of other
companies range across a huge swath of industries, from real
estate to ship building.
(Reporting by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)